A die grinder is used to polish, grind or cut away small amounts of metal from a workpiece, for example to remove metal spurs after cutting a pipe. As known in the art, a major drawback of conventional pneumatic die grinders is the high level of noise created in use. Die grinders can range in size from small handheld to bench top models. When using a handheld model, the operator must keep a steady hold on the die grinder. Unfortunately, the size of the most common and least expensive handheld die grinders offer a gripping space suitable for one hand only.
To try to solve the noise problem, pneumatic handheld die grinders with internal mufflers are sold. However, they are expensive and since the muffler is an internal component, it cannot easily be replaced by the user.
What is therefore needed, and an object of the present invention, is a muffler that can be added as an external component to a pneumatic handheld die grinder, offering an extension of the gripping area in addition to a noise reduction.